


Crossbow

by elyneri



Series: Nature Calls [3]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:37:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1736483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyneri/pseuds/elyneri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes being a female out in the middle of the woods during a zombie apocalypse can be really inconvenient. A series of short one shots set between episodes Still (12) and Alone (13). I will continue to add one shots to it as I write them.</p><p>This one shot focuses on Daryl and his crossbow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crossbow

            Daryl remembered the first time he held a crossbow in his hands. He was still just a boy when Merle gave him his first crossbow. It was Merle’s last gift to him before he left Daryl alone with their father. The crossbow became Daryl’s most prize possession and an escape from the harsh reality of having the kind of father he had.

            Daryl hid his crossbow from his father, so his father couldn’t take it when he thought beating him wasn’t enough. Whenever Daryl found a chance, he would run out into the woods with his crossbow, somewhere far enough where neither his father nor the neighborhood kids could accidentally stumble onto him while he practice, but close enough that he could hear his father calling for him.

            The first time Daryl shot his crossbow was when Merle first gave it to him. Merle showed Daryl how to hold it, load an arrow, aim, and shoot, before handing it over to Daryl.  Merle pointed at a tree, “Take a shot little brother.” Daryl held the crossbow like Merle had showed him. It was heaving for his child arms. Merle had given Daryl a crossbow made for adults. If Daryl wanted to learn how use a crossbow then he had to learn like a man and not a child.  It’s how their father taught Merle and it was their father and Merle taught Daryl. To be man.

            Daryl could barely hold the crossbow up in position. His arms were starting to shake; he was taking too long to aim. Finally, Daryl pressed the trigger, releasing the arrow. The arrow flew through the air towards the tree. Daryl watched in awe until the arrow flew straight past the tree and Merle burst out laughing. Embarrassed at his failure, Daryl set the crossbow down on the ground, stomping off to go retrieve the missing arrow with Merle’s laughter following right behind him.

            Daryl practice using the crossbow every chance he got. The next time Merle returned home, Daryl was going to show him he could hit a tree or shoot cans off a fence post. Next time, Merle wouldn’t be able to laugh at him. Daryl occupied all his free time with practicing. When his father was indisposed or out for the whole day, Daryl took the opportunity to visit the old man that lived a mile down the road from them. The old man was the one who had introduced Daryl to a crossbow. When Daryl visited him, the old man would give him pointers and lessons on how to use and maintain a crossbow.

            During those moments he spent trying to master how to use a crossbow, Daryl felt happy and content with his life at the moment. He could forget all the bad things and feeling so alone in the world. Then one night, his father found his crossbow. In a fit of illogical rage at life in general, Daryl’s father broke Daryl’s most prize possession, then proceeded to beat him with a piece of it. From that moment on, Daryl’s only sanctuary was the moments he could escape from his father to go visit the old man and continue his crossbow lessons.

            “Daryl?” Beth’s voice brought Daryl back to reality. Watching Beth carry his heavy crossbow in her small hands as she tracked had reminded him of the first time he held his. “Is something a matter?” she asked.

            “No.” Beth just stared at Daryl, waiting patiently for him to voice his thoughts. Beth had wanted Daryl to teach her how to track and hunt. What she didn’t know and he was becoming aware of everyday, that Beth had already mastered these skills; she just only ever applied it to reading people. Just like with hunting or tracking, Beth knew when to wait or when to go in. This made Daryl a little uncomfortable at how well she could read him. It also didn’t surprise him that Beth was catching on so quickly to tracking. “Just remembering about when I got my first crossbow.”

            “Did your dad give it to you?”

            “No. Merle gave it to me before he left. Probably stole it from someone.”

            Beth turned back around, following the trail they were tracking. “Who taught you how to use it?”

            “This old man who lived a mile down the road from us,” and Daryl told Beth a few stories about him and the old man as they continued to follow the trail.

**Author's Note:**

> What I had intended for this and what came out ended up being different towards the end. This one shot ended up writing itself. :)


End file.
